Portable diagnostic handset

ABSTRACT

A portable diagnostic device. The portable diagnostic device includes a housing, a processor located within the housing, an input device located on the housing and coupled to the processor, and a display screen located on the housing and coupled to the processor. The processor includes a microbrowser module configured for communicating with an external source of information and a diagnostic module configured for analyzing information received from the external source of information.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/075,179filed Feb. 14, 2002 and issuing on Oct. 2, 2007 as U.S. Pat. No.7,277,814, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention is directed generally to diagnostic devices, and,more particularly, to a portable diagnostic device for trouble-shootinga WAP network.

2. Description of the Background

People have come to expect reliable service from theirtelecommunications provider. For telecommunications occurring over atraditional pair of copper conductor telephone lines, the ability tomaintain, monitor, and trouble-shoot each subscriber's telephone line aswell as other circuit elements present in the associated Public SwitchedTelephone Network (PSTN) or Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) allows thetelecommunications provider to deliver reliable service to itscustomers. For wireless telecommunications, the ability to maintain,monitor, and trouble-shoot the hardware and software associated with thewireless network allows the wireless telecommunications provider todeliver reliable service to its customers. Traditional and wirelesstelecommunications providers each utilize an extensive array ofdiagnostic tools and procedures to optimize the level of reliabilityexperienced by their respective customers. One example of a toolregularly used to trouble-shoot a service problem being experienced by acustomer is a lineman's handset, commonly referred to as a butt set ortest set. The lineman's handset is a portable device that may be used bya field technician to test a particular phone line for compliance withperformance standards relating to items such as dial tone reception,proper ringing signals, and noise levels.

With the advent of the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), asignificant number of people are now able to access Internet content viawireless devices known as WAP-enabled devices. Wireless ApplicationProtocol (WAP) is an application environment and a set of communicationprotocols for wireless devices designed to enable a user to request andreceive content from the Internet, and the event of requesting andreceiving content from the Internet via a WAP-enabled device is referredto as a WAP session.

A wide range of handset manufacturers already support WAP, allowingusers to choose from a diverse range of WAP-enabled devices. AWAP-enabled device includes a microbrowser that is utilized to requestand receive content from the Internet, and typically has an externalappearance similar to that of a wireless phone. To initiate a WAPsession, the WAP-enabled device transmits a request for Internet contentthrough a wireless network to a WAP gateway, which is the interfacebetween the wireless network and the Internet. Once the requestedcontent has been retrieved from the Internet, the WAP gateway convertsthe content into a form suitable for transmission to the WAP-enableddevice. The microbrowser within the WAP-enabled device interprets theconverted content and displays the content on a display of theWAF-enabled device.

In view of the foregoing, it is apparent that accessing content from theInternet via a mobile WAP-enabled device requires a network thatincludes a mobile communication network and a data network. This type ofnetwork is referred to as a WAF′ network. Although there are portablediagnostic handsets that can be utilized by a network engineer totrouble-shoot the mobile communication network of the WAP network, thesedevices are not capable of troubleshooting the data network of the WAPnetwork.

Thus, there exists a need for a portable diagnostic handset thatovercomes the limitations, shortcomings, and disadvantages of knownportable diagnostic handsets, and may be utilized to trouble-shoot themobile communication network and the data network of a WAP network.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention meets the identified need, as well as other needs,as will be more fully understood following a review of thisspecification and the accompanying drawings. The present invention isdirected to a portable diagnostic device for trouble-shooting a WAPnetwork. According to one embodiment, the portable diagnostic deviceincludes a housing, a

processor located within the housing, an input device located on thehousing and coupled to the processor, and a display screen located onthe housing and coupled to the processor. The processor includes amicrobrowser module configured for communicating with an external sourceof information and a diagnostic module configured for analyzinginformation received from the external source of information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the present invention to be clearly understood and readilypracticed, the present invention will be described in conjunction withthe following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a high-level block diagram of a WAP network;

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of the WAP network of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an embodiment of a process flow forconducting a WAP session utilizing the WAP network of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of a portablediagnostic device for troubleshooting the WAP network of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a WAP network 10. TheWAP network 10 includes a mobile communication network 12 and a datanetwork 14 configured for communication with the mobile communicationnetwork 12 and the Internet 16.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of the WAP network 10 of FIG. 1.According to this embodiment, the mobile communication network 12 mayinclude a base substation 18, a mobile switching center 20, and aninterworking function 22. According to another embodiment, the mobilecommunication network 12 may include a plurality of base substations 18and a plurality of mobile switching centers 20.

The base substation 18 may be configured for communication with aportable communication device 24 such as, for example, a WAP-enableddevice and may include the tower, antennas, cables, FW transceivers,power supplies, and controller systems used to enable wirelesscommunications. The mobile switching center 20 may be configured forcommunication with the base substation 18 and may include an automaticswitching system that coordinates the establishment of calls to and fromthe portable communication device 24. The interworking function 22 maybe configured for communication with the mobile switching center 20 andmay include a modem pool used to establish a circuit-switched dataconnection between the portable communication device 24 and the datanetwork 14 via the mobile switching center 20. The interworking function22 may be implemented by a PCU (Packet Control Unit) available fromcompanies such as, for example, Ericsson, Nokia, or Nortel.

The data network 14 may include a remote access server 26, an IP(Internet Protocol) router 28, a RADIUS (Remote Access Dial-In UserServices) server 30, a WAP server 32, an authentication server 34, and adomain name server 36.

The remote access server 26 may be configured for communication with themobile switching center 20 and for receipt of a circuit switched datacall originated in the portable communication device 24. The remoteaccess server 24 may assign a temporary IP address to the portablecommunication device 24 and may generate a serial TCPIIP data streamassociated with the circuit switched data call. According to oneembodiment, the remote access server 26 may be implemented in the formof a CISCO 5300 remote access concentrator.

The IP router 28 may be configured for communication with the remoteaccess server 26 and is a protocol sensitive switching device that maybe used to direct IP traffic in and out of a number of other WAP networkelements such as the remote access server 26, the RADIUS server 30, theWAP server 32, the authentication server 34, and the domain name server36. According to one embodiment, the IP router 28 may be implemented asa CISCO model 3640 router.

The RADIUS server 30 may be configured for communication with the remoteaccess server 26 via the IP router 28, and may include a databasepopulated with the TP address and identification information associatedwith the portable communication device 24. According to one embodiment,the RADIUS server 30 may be implemented by a Sun Netra T1 server.

The WAP server 32 may be configured for communication with remote accessserver 26 and the Internet 16 via the IP router 28, and may function asthe physical interface between the data network 14 and the Internet 16.According to one embodiment, the WAI′ server 32 may be implemented as anOpenwave Mobile Access Gateway. The WAP server 32 may retrieve Internetcontent and forward the content to the portable communication device 24via the IP router 28 and the mobile communication network 12. Due tosize constraints associated with the display of a typical portablecommunication device 24, the WAP server 32 may convert the Internetcontent into a format suitable for display on the portable communicationdevice 24 prior to forwarding the content to the portable communicationdevice 24. Thus, the WAP server 32 may be thought of as serving as a WAPgateway for the WAP network 10 of FIG. 2. The WAP server 32 may also beresponsible for functions such as user provisioning, user databasecreation and maintenance, bi-directional security, traffic control, andcall detail recording (CDR) generation.

The authentication server 34 may be configured for communication withthe WAP server 32 via the IP router 28, and may include a subscriberdatabase that may be used to authenticate a user of the portablecommunication device 24 for purposes of conducting a WAF′ session.According to one embodiment, the authentification server 34 may beimplemented as a Sun Netra T1 server.

The domain name server 36 may be configured for communication with theWAP server 32 via the IP router 28, and may include a database thatstores tables of both domain names and IP addresses. According to oneembodiment, the domain name server 36 may be implemented as Sun Netra T1server. When a domain name is entered at the portable communicationdevice 24 in the form of a universal resource locator (URL), the textualrepresentation of a web site address, the domain name server 36 maytranslate the universal resource locator into an IP address associatedwith a web site, and forward the IP address to the WAP server 32 via theIP router 28.

It is to be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the WAP network10 of FIG. 1 may also include a number of other network elements notshown in FIG. 2. For example, the WAP network 10 of FIG. 1 may alsoinclude network elements such as short message service centers, e-mailservers, and firewalls.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a process flow for conducting a WAP sessionutilizing the WAP network of FIG. 2. According to this embodiment, theportable communication device 24 described hereinabove is a WAP-enableddevice having a keypad and a display screen.

The process begins at block 40, where a request to conduct a WAP sessionis initiated at the WAP-enabled device 24. The WAP request may beinitiated by, for example, accessing a menu displayed on the displayscreen of the WAP-enabled device 24, selecting an “access Internet”option on the menu, and pressing an “OK” key on the keypad of theWAP-enabled device 24. In response to the execution of theabove-described sequence of steps, the WAP-enabled device 24 dials aphone number associated with a data call and transmits the call over theair.

From block 40, the process proceeds to block 42, where the transmittedrequest is received by the base substation 18. From block 42, theprocess proceeds to block 44, where the base substation 18 forwards therequest to the mobile switching center 20. From block 44, the processproceeds to block 46, where, based on the number dialed by theWAP-enabled device 24, the mobile switching center 20 recognizes thatthe call is a data call and routes the data call to the interworkingfunction 22. From block 46, the process proceeds to block 48, where theinterworking function 22 receives the data call and originates anIntegrated Services Digital Network/Unrestricted Digital Informationmodem call back through the mobile switching center 20 and out adedicated WAP trunk group to the remote access server 26.

From block 48, the process proceeds to block 50, where the remote accessserver 26 receives the Integrated Services Digital Network/UnrestrictedDigital Information modem call and queries the WAP-enabled device 24 foridentification information via the mobile switching center 20 and thebase substation 18. Such identification information may include, forexample, the mobile station ISDN number associated with the WAP-enableddevice. From block 50, the process proceeds to block 52, where, inresponse to the query generated at block 50, the WAP-enabled device 24provides identification information to the remote access server 26 viathe base substation 18 and the mobile switching center 20. From block52, the process proceeds to block 54, where the remote access server 26receives the identification information from the WAP-enabled device 24and passes the identification information to the RADIUS server 30.

From block 54, the process proceeds to block 56, where the RADIUS server30 receives the identification information and compares the receivedidentification information to identification information contained in adatabase maintained by the RADIUS server 30. If the identificationinformation provided by the WAP-enabled device 24 corresponds toidentification information associated with a valid WAP-enabled device24, the process proceeds from block 56 to block 58, where the RADIUSserver 30 returns a “grant access” instruction to the remote accessserver 26, thus establishing a connection between the WAP-enabled device24 and the remote access server 26. From block 58, the process proceedsto block 60, where the remote access server 26 assigns a temporary IPaddress to the WAP-enabled device 24 for WAP session management purposesand grants the WAP-enabled device 24 access to the WAP server 32.

Once the path between the WAP-enabled device 24 and the WAP server 32 isestablished, the process proceeds from block 60 to block 62, where theWAP server 32 transmits a request for WAP authentication to theauthentication server 34 via the IP router 28. The request for WAPauthentication is essentially a request for verification that the userof the WAP enabled device 24 is a WAP subscriber. From block 62, theprocess proceeds to block 64, where the authentication server 34receives the request and queries the RADIUS server 30 via the IP router28 for client information associated with the IP address assigned to theWAP-enabled device 24. The client information may be contained in adatabase maintained by the RADIUS server 30, and may include, forexample, the client's user name and password. From block 64, the processproceeds to block 66, where the RADIUS server receives the request and,based on the IP address assigned to the WAP-enabled device 24, searchesa database maintained by the RADIUS server 30 for the requested clientinformation, and passes the client information to the authenticationserver 34 via the IP router 28. From block 66, the process proceeds toblock 68, where the authentication server 34 receives the clientinformation from the RADIUS server 30, and searches a databasemaintained by the authentication server 34 for an entry that correspondsto the client information received from the RADIUS server 30. If acorresponding entry is found, the user is considered authenticated andthe process proceeds from block 68 to block 70, where the authenticationserver 34 returns a “grant WAP session” instruction to the WAP server32, thus permitting the WAP-enabled device 24 to access content on theInternet via the WAP server 32.

Once the WAP-enabled device 24 has been authorized to conduct a WAPsession, the process proceeds from block 70 to block 72, where a requestfor content associated with a particular web site on the Internet may betransmitted from the WAP-enabled device 24. To request content from aspecific web site, a textual representation of the web site may beentered from the keypad of the WAP-enabled device 24. A microbrowser inthe WAP-enabled device 24 then converts the textual representation intoa universal resource locator (URL) request that may be transmitted overthe air. From block 72, the process proceeds to block 74, where the URLrequest is received by the base substation 18 and is passed to thedomain name server 36 via the mobile communication network 12 and the IProuter 28.

From block 74, the process proceeds to block 76, where the domain nameserver 36 receives the URL request and translates the URL request intothe IP address associated with an applications server (not shown)connected to the Internet that contains the requested content, andforwards the IP address to the WAP server 32 via the IP router 28. Fromblock 76, the process proceeds to block 78, where the WAP server 32receives the IP address associated with the requested content, andaccesses the applications server (not shown) via the Internet toretrieve the content requested by the WAP-enabled device 24. Once thecontent has been retrieved from the applications server (not shown) bythe WAF′ server 32, the process proceeds from block 78 to block 80,where the WAP server 32 converts the content into a compact binary formsuitable for transmission to the WAF′-enabled device 24. From block 80,the process proceeds to block 82, where the WAP server 32 passes theconverted content to the WAP-enabled device 24 via the mobilecommunication network 12. From block 82, the process proceeds to block84, where the converted content is interpreted by the microbrowser ofthe WAP-enabled device 24, and displayed on the display screen of theWAF′-enabled device 24.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a portable diagnosticdevice 100 for trouble-shooting a WAP network 10 such as, for example,the WAP network 10 of FIG. 2. The portable diagnostic device 100 may bea WAP-enabled device and may include a housing 102, a processor 104, aninput device 106, and a display screen 108.

The housing 102 encloses the electronic circuitry and certain othercomponents (described in more detail herein below) required to operatethe portable diagnostic device 100. The housing 102 may be manufacturedusing a lightweight, shock-absorbent, water-resistant material suitablefor the typical rigors that a portable device may be subjected to. Forexample, the housing 102 may be manufactured from ABS (AcrylonitrileButadiene Styrene) plastic.

The processor 104 is located within the housing 102 and may be a centralprocessing unit (CPU) including, e.g., a microprocessor, an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more printed circuitboards. The processor 104 may include a microbrowser module 110 and adiagnostic module 112, and will be described in more detail hereinbelow. The microbrowser module 110 is configured for communicating withan external source of information such as, for example, a networkelement of the WAP network 10 or a server (not shown) connected to theInternet 16, and may be configured to “read” information received in theWML (Wireless Mark-up language) and WMLScript formats used to transmitcontent to a WAP-enabled device. The microbrowser module 110 may requestand receive specific information from the external source ofinformation. The specific information may include, for example, thestatus of the network elements of the WAP network 10, a base substationID, a signal level associated with the base substation 18, a mobileswitching center ID, a mobile switching center port number and circuitnumber that received a particular WAP subscriber's data call, the timeframe of the WAP subscriber's last WAP session, the modem ID of theinterworking function modem that originated the Integrated ServicesDigital Network/Unrestricted Digital Information modem call, the remoteaccess server port number and circuit number over which a connectionwith the WAP-enabled device 24 was established, the IP address assignedto the WAP-enabled device 24, the IP router port number over which aconnection to the WAP server 32 was established for a subscriber's WAPsession, the IP address generated by the domain name server 36, and theWAP server port number over which a connection to the Internet wasestablished. Such information may be received directly from the networkelements or from other remotely-located sources of information. Forexample, the network elements may be “pinged” to determine theirconnectivity status, or information associated with the network elementsmay be received from a remotely-located server (not shown) connected tothe Internet that stores network element operational data retrieved by alogging program that continuously pulls operational data from thenetwork elements.

The diagnostic module 112 is configured for analyzing the informationreceived by the microbrowser module 110. From the foregoing, it isapparent that conducting a WAP session requires the error-free operationof a plurality of devices and the links between those devices. If a WAPsubscriber experiences difficulty while conducting or while attemptingto conduct a WAP session, the analysis provided by the diagnostic module112 may assist a network engineer in identifying the potential source ofthe difficulty. According to one embodiment, the diagnostic module 112may be configured to analyze information received by the microbrowsermodule 110 that is associated with elements of the WAP network 10 in apredetermined sequence such as, for example, a sequence that thatmirrors the sequence of the process flow described hereinabove withrespect to FIG. 3. For example, after analyzing the informationassociated with the base substation 18, the diagnostic module 112 maythen analyze the information associated with the mobile switching center20, followed by analyzing the information associated with theinterworking function 22, and so on. By analyzing information associatedwith each element of the WAP network 10 in a sequence, for example, thatmirrors the process flow of FIG. 3, the network engineer may utilize theanalysis provided by the diagnostic module 112 to sequentially eliminatecertain elements of the WAP network 10 as the source of the difficulty,and possibly identify the specific source of the difficulty.

The modules 110, 112 may be implemented as microcode configured into thelogic of the processor 104, or may be implemented as programmablemicrocode stored in an electrically erasable programmable read onlymemory (EEPROM). According to another embodiment, the modules 110, 112may be implemented as software code to be executed by the processor 104.The software code may be written in any suitable programming languageusing any suitable programming technique. For example, the software codemay be written in C using procedural programming techniques, or in Javaor C++ using object oriented programming techniques. The software codemay be stored as a series of instructions or commands on a computerreadable medium, such as a random access memory (RAM) or a read onlymemory (ROM), a magnetic medium such as a hard-drive or a floppy disk,or an optical medium such as a CD-ROM.

The input device 106 is located on the housing 102 and is coupled to theprocessor 104. The input device 106 may be any suitable input devicesuch as, for example, a keypad, a mouse, or a trackball. According toone embodiment, the input device 106 is a keypad located on the housing102 and includes keys for digits ‘0’ through ‘9’, for symbols ‘*’ and‘#’, and for functions such as Internet access, data retrieval fromlocal memory, data transmission, etc. The keys on the keypad may be, forexample, push-button keys, membrane keys or touch-pad keys. According toanother embodiment, the input device 106 may also include an electronicpointing device, e.g., a track ball or a touch-pad mouse (not shown), toallow a network engineer using the portable diagnostic device 100 toquickly and efficiently access various functions performed by theportable diagnostic device 100. In this embodiment, various menu optionsmay be displayed in letter-form (e.g., ‘NETWORK TEST’, ‘ACCESSINTERNET’, etc.) with or without appropriate icons on the display screen108, and the network engineer may select the desired function to beperformed by using the electronic pointing device.

The display screen 108 is located on the housing 102 and is coupled tothe processor 104. The display screen 108 may be used to display textualand/or graphical information pertaining to operation parameters of theWAP network 10 and may be, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)screen, a passive matrix display or a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) activematrix display. According to one embodiment, the display screen 108 maybe touch-sensitive and many or all of the functions performed using theinput device 106 may be performed by touching appropriate locations onthe display screen 108. In this embodiment, the input device 106 may,for example, have a reduced number of keys thereon or, if desired, theinput device 106 may be eliminated altogether from the housing 102.

The portable diagnostic device 100 may also include a power source 114,a radio frequency transceiver 116, a modem 118, a speaker 120, amicrophone 122, and a memory device 124.

The power source 114 is located within the housing 102 and is coupled tothe processor 108. The power source 114 may supply the requisite powerto various electronic circuit elements located within the housing 102,and may be implemented by, for example, a rechargeable battery.

The radio frequency transceiver 116 is located within the housing 102and is coupled to the processor 108. The radio frequency transceiver 116may transmit information to the mobile communication network 12 and mayreceive information from the mobile communication network 12, and mayinclude an antenna 126 originating within the housing 102 and protrudingtherefrom.

The modem 118 is located within the housing 102 and is coupled to theprocessor 108. The modem 118 may modulate information received via theprocessor 108 prior to forwarding to the radio frequency transceiver 116for over-the-air transmittal to the mobile communication network 12, andmay demodulate information received from the mobile communicationnetwork 12 via the radio frequency transceiver 116 prior to forwardingto the information to the processor 108. The modem 118 may employ one ormore of a number of modulation schemes such as, for example, BASK(binary amplitude shift keying), FSK (frequency shift keying), DQPSK(differential quadrature phase shift keying), QAM (quadrature amplitudemodulation) and TCM (trellis-coded modulation). The modem 118 mayfunction in a full duplex communication mode allowing simultaneoustransmission and reception of electrical signals. The modem 118 may alsoperform error correction for transmitted and received data. The datacommunication speed of the modem 118 may be, for example, 56 kbps(kilobits per second) with automatic fall-back capability in the eventof noisy line conditions or due to a mismatch between the datacommunication speeds of the modem 118 and the device with which themodem 118 is communicating.

The speaker 120 and the microphone 122 are located within the housing102 and are coupled to the processor 108. The speaker 120 may be anytype of speaker suitable for converting an electronic signal into anaudible sound and the microphone 122 may be any type of microphonesuitable for converting a sound wave into an electronic signal. Anetwork engineer may utilize the speaker 120 to listen to various tones,noise, and other signals to trouble-shoot the mobile communicationnetwork 12 of the WAP network 10, and may utilize the microphone 122 tospeak to other technicians such as, for example, an office-basedtechnician.

The memory device 124 is located within the housing 102 and is coupledto the processor 108. The memory device 124 may include memory forstorage of data such as, for example, data received from the Internet 16via the data network 14 and the mobile communication network 12. Thememory device 118 may include volatile and/or non-volatile memory, suchas a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EEPROM(Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), flash memory, orother similar memory units.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated indetail herein with respect to certain embodiments, it is clearlyunderstood that the same is by way of example and is not to be taken byway of limitation. For example, the portable diagnostic device 100described hereinbefore may be configured to trouble-shoot any WAPnetwork, not just the WAP network 10 of FIG. 2. It will be appreciatedby those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications andvariations of the present invention may be implemented without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention as described in theappended claims.

1. A portable diagnostic device for troubleshooting a network having aplurality of elements, the diagnostic device comprising: a housing; aprocessor located within the housing, wherein the processor includes: amicrobrowser module configured for communicating with an external sourceof information including a network undergoing diagnosis and having apredetermined set of communication protocols; and a diagnostic moduleconfigured for analyzing information associated with elements of thenetwork in a predetermined sequence configured to emulate a sequence ofa process flow of signals through the elements of the network undergoingdiagnosis by the portable diagnostic device; an input device associatedwith the housing and coupled to the processor; and a display screenassociated with the housing and coupled to the processor to displayinformation pertaining to operating parameters of the network undergoingdiagnosis.
 2. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein thenetwork undergoing diagnosis includes a mobile communication network inselective communication with a data network configured for communicationwith the mobile communication network and the Internet, and themicrobrowser is operative for communication with the network.
 3. Theportable diagnostic device of claim 2, wherein the mobile communicationnetwork includes a device selected from the group of devices consistingof a base substation, a mobile switching center, an interworkingfunction, and a remote access server.
 4. The portable diagnostic deviceof claim 2, wherein the data network includes a device selected from thegroup of devices consisting of an Internet protocol router, a remoteaccess dial-in user services server, a server communicating between thedata network and the Internet, an authentication server, and a domainname server.
 5. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein theexternal source of information includes a server connected to theInternet.
 6. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein theinput device includes an input device selected from the group consistingof a keypad, a mouse, a trackball, and a touch screen.
 7. The portablediagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the display screen includes adisplay screen selected from the group consisting of an LCD displayscreen, a passive matrix display screen, and a TFT active matrix displayscreen.
 8. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, further comprisinga power source located within the housing and coupled to the processor.9. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, further comprising a radiofrequency transceiver located within the housing and coupled to theprocessor.
 10. The portable diagnostic device of claim 9, wherein theradio frequency transceiver includes an antenna originating within thehousing and protruding therefrom.
 11. The portable diagnostic device ofclaim 1, further comprising a modem located within the housing andcoupled to the processor.
 12. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1,further comprising a speaker located within the housing and coupled tothe processor.
 13. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, furthercomprising a microphone located within the housing and coupled to theprocessor.
 14. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, furthercomprising a memory device located within the housing and coupled to theprocessor, the memory device selected from the group consisting of avolatile memory, a random access memory, a non-volatile memory, and anelectrically erasable programmable read-only memory.
 15. Acomputer-readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructionswhich, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: requestinformation from an external source associated with an element of anetwork undergoing diagnosis and having predetermined communicationsprotocols; receive the requested information from the external sourceelement of the network; and analyze the received information in apredetermined sequence to emulate a process flow of signals throughelements of the network for diagnosis of the network.
 16. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein receiving the requestedinformation from an element of the network includes receiving therequested information from an element of the network via a serverconnected to the Internet.